Department of Psychology
PO77, Henry Wellcome Building
De Crespigny Park
London SE5 8AF
Participant Information Sheet
How do we make sense of, and respond to, unusual experiences?
We would like to invite you to take part in a research study. Before you decide
whether to take part it is important for you to understand why the research is being
done and what it would involve for you. Please take time to read the following
information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask us if there is
anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take time to decide
whether or not you wish to take part.
What is the purpose of the study?
We are interested in speaking to people who have ‘unusual’ experiences or spiritual or
mystical experiences, and to those who have never had any such experiences. We are
doing this on two sites, in South London and the South East, and in North Wales, so
that we may be able to talk to a wide variety of people.
Recent research has shown that many people in the general population describe
having ‘unusual’ experiences like hearing voices or changes in one’s perception, or
extrasensory communications or spiritual-type experiences. These types of ‘unusual’
experiences (like any other experience) can be interpreted and responded to in
different ways. For some people these experiences have a negative impact on their life
and result in input from mental health services. For others these experiences have a
positive impact and can be life-enriching. This research will attempt to identify what
distinguishes between people who do and do not have unusual experiences, and
between people whose unusual experiences are positive from those whose experiences
become distressing. We hope a better psychological understanding of these types of
experiences will, in the long term, help other people to accept them more readily.
Why have I been invited?
You have been invited to participate because you or an organisation/research register
you belong to has identified that you do not have unusual experiences. We need to
conduct the study with people who do not have these experiences in order to address
our research questions.
Do I have to take part?
It is entirely up to you to decide whether or not to take part. You may choose to ask
for independent information or advice about your rights as a research participant or
about being involved in this particular research study by contacting the local Research
and Development Department (please see below for contact details).
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If you do decide to take part, you will be given this information sheet to keep and will
be asked to sign a consent form. You are still free to withdraw at any time in the
process of the study without giving a reason.
What will happen if I start but then don’t want to carry on with the study?
Participants can withdraw from the study at any time without having to justify their
decision. If you decide to withdraw from the study you can tell us whether you are
happy for us to use the information obtained up to that point. If you are not, any
information that you have given will be destroyed and you will not be contacted by us
again.
What will happen to me if I take part?
Taking part will involve meeting with one of our research workers, on one or two
occasions. Overall it will take approximately two hours to complete the study. Breaks
will be available as needed at any point during the session. With your permission, we
would like to audio-record the meeting so that we may be able to rate the consistency
of scoring between our different research workers.
We will do some brief testing of your concentration, memory, and reasoning, using a
variety of tests and puzzles. We will ask you to complete three computer-based tasks one will look at the effect of distraction on an attention task, and the other two will
involve a simple test of reasoning.
Finally, we will ask you to complete a set of questionnaires. We are interested in a
wide range of factors in life which may be of relevance, and the questionnaires will be
asking about your background and childhood (including your relationship with your
parents, and any past traumatic events); your current situation (including what it’s like
where you live, your current religious practices and drug use); your current mood
(including your view of the world and yourself). Please note we will be asking you
about difficult issues such as experiences of discrimination, bullying, physical assault
and different types of abuse. The researchers are fully trained in talking to people
about such experiences in a sensitive, non-judgemental and empathic way.
What are the possible disadvantages, risks or side effects of taking part?
Some of the questionnaires may cover issues that are sensitive and/or distressing for
you, such as drug/ alcohol use and questions asking about previous traumatic events.
These questions are chosen to help us understand why some people become distressed
by their experiences and to find ways to help. You can stop at any stage of the
interview if you feel uncomfortable and you can refuse to answer any questions that
you feel are too distressing.
The computer tasks may seem a bit confusing at times, but we will be able to debrief
you fully at the end once you have had a go.
At the end of the study you will have a chance to tell us what your experience of
participating in the research was like, and we will take this into consideration for this
and future studies.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
You may find doing some of the tasks interesting.
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Will I be compensated for my time?
We are able to reimburse any travel expenses that you incur and offer you £20 for
your time. Reimbursement payment must be declared for tax or benefit purposes.
Will my taking part in the study be kept confidential?
All the information which is collected about you during the course of the research will
be kept strictly confidential. The only limits to this confidentiality would be if you
were to tell us something that suggested that there would be a reason for us to be
worried about harm to yourself, or to someone else. In these circumstances it would
be important for us to share this information appropriately. Please note that this is
likely to be a very rare occurrence.
The data will be collected and stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act
1998, secured against unauthorised access.
What will happen to the results of the study?
The research should be completed by the end of 2014. You will be offered a copy of
the results of the study once it is completed, if you wish. The results of the study will
be published in a peer-reviewed journal, with all data completely anonymised. No
individual will be identifiable from the published results.
What if there is a problem?
Complaints
Any complaint about the way you have been dealt with during the study or any
possible harm you might suffer will be addressed. If you have a concern about any
aspect of this study, you can speak with the researcher in the first instance or the
Project Coordinator (name) who will do their best to answer your questions. If you
remain unhappy and wish to complain formally, you can do this through the Director
of Research Quality (see below).
Harm
Compensation for harm arising from an accidental injury and occurring as a
consequence of your participation in the study will be covered by King’s College
London. If you are harmed and this is due to someone’s negligence then you may
have grounds for legal action for compensation against King’s College London (with
respect of any harm arising out of the participation in the research study).
Who has reviewed the study?
This research was reviewed and funded by the Medical Research Council. Participant
representatives have been involved in providing advice on the measures and ways to
conduct the study in the best possible manner. All research is also looked at by an
independent group of people, called a Research Ethics Committee, to protect your
safety, rights, wellbeing and dignity. This study has been reviewed and given
favourable opinion (approved) by London Westminster REC (22/5/2012).
Contact Details
If you have any questions relating to this research, or concerns about participation,
please contact:
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Research worker:
Eleonore Bristow
Tel: 02078480417
Email: eleonore.bristow@kcl.ac.uk
Project Coordinator:
Dr Tom Ward
Tel: 02078480594
Email: thomas.ward@kcl.ac.uk
Grant holders:
Dr Emmanuelle Peters, Senior Lecturer & Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist,
Psychology Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF.
Prof Philippa Garety, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Joint Leader of the Psychosis
Clinical Academic Group, Psychology Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill,
London, SE5 8AF
Dr Mike Jackson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer
Department of Clinical Psychology, Bodfaen, Craig Y Don Rd, Bangor, LL57 2BG
If you would like to speak to someone to get some independent advice about your rights as a
research participant, you can contact the local R&D office:
Research Governance Officer
King’s College London
Box P005
De Crespigny Park
London, SE5 8AF
Tel: 020 7848 0251
If you wish to make a complaint about the conduct of this study, you can do this through the
Director of Research Quality:
Dr Gill Dale
Director of Research Quality
Joint R&D Office of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of
Psychiatry, P005, Institute of Psychiatry (King's College London), De Crespigny Park,
London SE5 8AF
020 7848 0675 / gill.dale@kcl.ac.uk
We wish to thank you for taking the time to read this sheet and considering taking part in
the research study.
UNIQUE study, funded by:
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INFORMED CONSENT FORM
Title of Project: How do we make sense of, and respond to, unusual experiences?
Name of Researchers: Eleonore Bristow/Dr Tom Ward/Dr Emmanuelle Peters/Prof
Philippa Garety
Yes
No
Have you read the Participant Information Sheet for the above
study?
Have you had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the
study?
Have you received satisfactory answers to all of your questions?
Have you received enough information about the study?
Do you understand that your participation is voluntary and you are
free to withdraw at any time, without giving any reason, and
without any penalty?
Do you understand that interviews will be audio-recorded and
these recordings will be destroyed after the data is coded? Do you
consent to this?
Do you agree to taking part in the above study?
Full Name in Capitals:……………………………………………………………
Signed:………………………………………………………………………………..
Date:…………………………………………………………………………………..
Full Name of Researcher:…………………………………………………………
Signed:………………………………………………………………………………
Date:…………………………………………………………………………………..
When completed, 1 copy for participant, and 1 copy for research site file.
UNIQUE study, funded by:
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